Housings for condensers of refrigerator systems



G. W. MATHIS Sept. 15, 1964 HOUSINGS FOR CONDENSERS OF REFRIGERATOR SYSTEMS Filed April 15, 1963 a LIIE L 2 \II' M 4 2 J C 00000 00000) oooooooooo 0000000000, 0000000000 7/ l\ w L 1- .44 0 6 ATTORNEY-5 WM w& M N E L w 4 United States Patent 3,148,514 HOUSINGS FOR CGNDENSERS 0F REFRIGERATOR SYSTEMS Glenn W. Mathis, Kendallville, Ind., assignor to McCray Refrigerator Company, Inc, Kendallville, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Apr. 15, 1963, Ser. No. 273,054 Claims. (Cl. 62-183) This invention relates to refrigerator systems and more particularly to housings for condensers of refrigerating systems in which the condensers are normally exposed to outside air.

In many instances, it is desirable to maintain the temperature of air flowing by the condenser coil of a refrigerating system within a predetermined range or above a predetermined minimum to maintain uniform operation of the compressor of the system and to obtain close control over the temperature of the refrigerated space. In fact in some systems employing pressure-responsive controls, the compressor will not operate at all of the refrigerant is cooled excessively in the condenser.

The present invention relates to refrigerating systems for large spaces in which the compressor and condenser of the system are located at a distance from the refrigerated space, frequently on a roof of a building containing the refrigerated space with the condenser being exposed to outside air. vThe housing of the invention encloses the condenser and, usually, the compressor and contains louvers. arranged in such a maner that air can either flow through the housing or be recirculated within it, With suitable temperature controls associated therewith to control the positions of the various louver blades and thereby control the flow of air. If the outside air temperature is sufliciently high, it will be passed directly through the housing and past the condenser. If the air is too cool, so that the temperature of the refrigerant leaving the condenser is too low, the air will be recirculated in the housing.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to 'provide a housing for a condenser of a refrigerating system with temperature control means for regulating the circulation of air past the condenser so that the air temperature can be maintained above a predetermined minimum.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a condenser housing embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a somewhat schematic view in longitudinal cross section of the housing of FIG. 1 and of components therein; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross sectional view on a smaller scale of the housing of FIGS. 1 and 2 with louvers thereof in a diiferent position.

Referring to the drawing, a housing embodying the invention is indicated at it? and encloses portions of a refrigerating system including a compressor 12 and a condenser 14. An evaporator 16 is located in a space to be refrigerated some distance from the housing and usually within a building exterior to which the housing 10 is located. This may be on the roof of the building or elsewhere. The refrigerating system also includes a receiver 18 and an expansion valve 20 as well as the other conventional components (not shown) ordinarily found in such a system.

The housing 19, being outside, is subjected to a wide variety of conditions of atmospheric air, including a wide temperature range thereof. To control the air passing over the condenser 14 and regulate the temperature of this air within a more narrow temperature range and above a predetermined minimum, the housing 10 is provided with a unique arrangement of louvers by means of which the air flow can be controlled. Toward this purpose, the condenser 14 is located transversely of the housing 10, between the side walls thereof and within a duct 22 which aids in directing the air over the condenser, the duct 22 being supported by suitable frame members 24. The air is drawn through the duct 22 by means of a fan 26 located at one side thereof, with the fan being driven by a suitable motor 28 supported on a platform 30 along with the compressor 12.

The air drawn through the duct 22 can be brought into the housing 10 by an inlet louver 32 located in an end wall 34 of the housing 10. The louver 32 includes a plurality of adjustable louver blades 36 pivotally supported on louver frame members 38 by axles 40. The blades 36 have arms 42 which are connected together by links 44, with the upper one of the arms 42 being pivotally connected to an adjustable actuating rod 46 pivotally connected to an L-shaped lever 48 mounted on the housing by a pivot pin 50. When the lever 48 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, the blades 36 are opened in a counter-clockwise direction, and when the lever 48 is moved in a clockwise direction, the blades 36 are likewise moved in a clockwise direction toward a closed position, being shown in the closed position in FIG. 2.

At the opposite end of the housing 10, a slightly larger outlet louver 52 is positioned in an end wall 54 to provide an outlet or exhaust opening for air drawn into the housing 10 through the louver 32 by the fan 26. The louver 52 similarly includes blades 56 pivotally supported by louver frame members 58 by means of axles 60. The blades 56 have arms 62 connected by linkages 64, with the upper arm 62 being connected to an adjustable actuating rod 66 pivotally connected to an L-shaped operating lever 68 mounted on the housing by a pivot pin 7 0. When the lever 68 is moved in a counter-clockwise direction, the blades 56 open in a clockwise direction and when the lever 68 is moved in a clockwise direction, the blades 56 are moved in a counter-clockwise direction toward a closed position. The louver actuating levers 48 and 63 operate together so that when one of the louvers 32 or 52 is opened, the other will also be opened. The controls for the levers 48 and 68 will be discussed subsequently.

When the inlet louver 32 is open, outside air is drawn through it and into a first plenum chamber 72 formed in the housing 10 between the end wall 34 and the frame 24. From the chamber 72, the air flows through the duct 22 and the condenser 14, and is drawn by the fan 26 into a second plenum chamber '74 located between the framework 24 and the end wall 54. The air is then exhausted through the outlet louver 52.

In a pressure-responsive refrigerant system, for example, the outside air may be sufiiciently cold that it excessively cools the refrigerant in the condenser 14. In such an instance the pressure at the outlet of the condenser 14 and in the receiver 18 may be sufficiently low that the refrigerant will not flow past the expansion valve 20. The pressure at the inlet side of the compressor, to which pressure the compressor 12 is responsive, then will not rise sutficiently to cause the compressor 12 to operate. Thus, the refrigerating system will remain dormant until the outside air rises to a suflicient temperature to enable the temperature of the refrigerant upstream of the expansion valve 20 to rise and thereby cause a rise in its pressure sufficient to enable the refrigerant to flow through the expansion valve 20. The pressure in the inlet line of the compressor 12 will then gradually rise until the compressor 12 is again operated.

To prevent excessively low temperatures of the refrigerant downstream of the condenser 14, and a resulting dormant condition of the refrigerating system, an intermediate, by-pass louver 76 is located above the condenser 14. The by-pass louver 76 includes blades 78 supported by the partition frame 24 through axles 80. The blades 78 have arms 82 which are pivotally connected by a link 84, with the upper arm 82 connected to an adjustable actuating rod 86. The rod 86 is pivotally connected to an L-shaped operating lever 88 supported by the housing through a pivot pin 90. When the lever 88 is moved in a clockwise direction, the louver blades 78 are opened in a counter-clockwise direction, whereas when the lever 88 is moved in a counterclockwise direction, the blades 78 are moved in a clockwise direction toward a closed position. The main operating lever 88, in addition to being connected to the louver 76 by the rod 86, is also connected to the lever 48 for the louver 32 and the lever 68 for the louver 52 through actuating rods 92 and 94 respectively. As the lever 88 moves in a clockwise direction to open the blades 78, it also moves the levers 48 and 68 in clockwise directions, thereby causing the inlet louver blades 36 and the outlet louver blades 56 to move toward closed positions. Similarly, if the main lever 88 is moved in a counter-clockwise direction, the bypass louver blades 78 move toward a closed position and the inlet and outlet louver blades 36 and 56 open.

As the blades 36 and 56 open and as the blades 78 close, more outside air tends to be drawn directly through the condenser 14 and less is recirculated. As the inlet and outlet blades 36 and 56 move toward closed positions, and the blades 78 open, less outside air is drawn in and more air is recirculated through the plenum chamber 72, past the condenser 14, through the second plenum chamber 74, and past the by-pass louver blades 78. Finally, a position is reached in which all air is recirculated, which will occur if the ambient temperature is quite cool. As ambient temperature rises, more air is brought in from the outside until all air is brought in from the outside and passes directly through the housing 10 (FIG. 3).

The main lever 88 and the blades of the three louvers 32, 52, and 76 are operated through an operating link 96 which is connected to a push-pull linear actuator 98 which can be of the type disclosed in US Patent No. 3,014,379. The actuator 98 is driven by a motor 100, the operation of which is regulated by a temperature control 102 having a temperature responsive bulb 104 located in a suitable position inside or outside the housing 10. The control 102 can be a TB 1000 series temperature control described in Bulletin No. 3264 of Penn Controls, Inc., of Goshen, Indiana.

In operation, if the air is above a predetermined temperature, for example 60 F., all air flowing past the condenser 14 will be drawn through the louver 32 and exhausted through the outlet louver 52, with the by-pass louver 56 being closed. If the air temperature should now drop below 60 F., the refrigerant leaving the condenser 14 may be cooled to the extent that its pressure will not enable it to be pushed through the expansion valve 20. The pressure in the suction line of the compressor 12 thereby will remain sufficiently low so that the pump 12 will not be actuated and the refrigerating system will not function at all. To prevent this, when the temperature of the air drops below 60 F., the control 102 will start the motor 100 to cause the actuator 98 to move the rod 96 inwardly, thereby moving the main lever 88 in a clockwise direction. This will move the levers 48 and 68 in clockwise directions and cause the blades 36 and 56 to move toward their closed positions, thereby restricting the flow of outside air through the housing 10. At the same time, the main lever 88, through the actuating rod 86, opens the by-pass blades 78 to enable more air to be recirculated from the plenum chamber 74 back into the plenum chamber 72. A position is finally reached, as shown in FIG. 2, wherein all of the air is recirculated and no outside air is drawn in. Under such conditions, the recirculated air will be at a temperature above 60 F. even for the coldest outside air temperature to be expected, because of the heat the recirculated air receives from the condenser 14, the compressor 12, the fan motor 28, and the compressor motor (not shown).

While the above described embodiment of the invention represents a preferred arrangement for accomplishing the goals sought herein, various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art and it is to be understood that such modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as set forth herein and in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. In a refrigerating system including a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator, said condenser normally being exposed to outside air, a housing enclosing said condenser and including a first louver with movable blades for admitting ambient air to the interior of said housing, a second louver with movable blades for exhausting air from said housing, a fan for moving air past said con denser, a third louver with movable blades positioned to enable recirculation of air within said housing, and control means for controlling the position of at least some of said louver blades in response to the temperature of the air to maintain the temperature of the air flowing past the condenser above a predetermined minimum.

2. In a refrigerating system including a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator, said condenser normally being exposed to outside air, a housing enclosing said condenser and including a first louver with movable blades for admitting ambient air to the interior of said housing, a second louver with movable blades for exhausing air from said housing, a fan for moving air past said condenser, a third louver with movable blades positioned to enable recirculation of air within said housing, and control means for moving and coordinating the positions of the blades of said first and second louvers and for moving the blades of said third louver in a direction opposite to the movement of the blades of said first and second louvers for directing outside air through the housing and for recirculating air in the housing.

3. In a refrigerating system including a condenser normally exposed to outside air, a housing enclosing said condenser, said housing having a first louver with movable blades positioned in one wall thereof on one side of said condenser, for admitting outside air to said housing, a second louver positioned in another wall of said housing on the side of said condenser opposite said first louver, for exhausting air from said housing, a fan adjacent said condenser for bringing air into said housing through said first louver and for exhausting air from said housing through said second louver, a third louver in said housing aiding in forming a first plenum chamber on one side of said condenser and a second plenum chamber on the other side of said condenser, said third louver controlling flow of air within said housing from one of said plenum chambers to the other to enable recirculation of air within said housing, and control means for controlling the positions of the blades of said first, second, and third louvers whereby outside air is passed through said housing when the blades of said first and second louvers are opened and air is recirculated within said housing when the blades of said first and second louvers are closed and the blades of said third louver are opened.

4. In a refrigerating system including a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, said condenser normally being exposed to outside air, a housing enclosing said condenser, said housing having a first louver with movable blades positioned in one wall thereof on one side of said condenser, for admitting outside air to said housing, a second louver positioned in a second wall of said housing on the side of said condenser opposite said first louver, for exhausting air from said housing, a fan adjacent said condenser for bringing air into said housing through said first louver and for exhausting air from said housing through said second louver, a third louver in said housing aiding in forming, with said condenser, a first plenum chamber on one side of said condenser and a second plenum chamber on the other side of said condenser, said third louver controlling flow of air within said housing from one of said plenum chambers to the other to enable recircualtion of air within said housing, linkages connecting all three louvers together for simultaneous movement thereof, and control means connected to said linkages for controlling the positions of the blades of said first, second, and third louvers with the blades of said first and second louvers opened and closed together and with the blades of said third louver moving opposite to those of said first and second louvers, whereby outside air is passed through said housing when the blades of said first and second louvers are opened and air is recirculated within said housing when the blades of said first and second louvers are closed and the blades of said third louver are opened.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said control means is actuated by an air temperature responsive device to cause the flow of air through the housing When air temperature is above a predetermined amount and to cause recirculation of air wtihin the housing when air temperature is below the predetermined amount.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,210,325 Newton Aug. 6, 1940 2,958,208 Braden Nov. 1, 1960 3,004,402 Dart Oct. 17, 1961 3,073,132 Crider Jan. 15, 1963 

1. IN A REFRIGERATING SYSTEM INCLUDING A COMPRESSOR, A CONDENSER, AND AN EVAPORATOR, SAID CONDENSER NORMALLY BEING EXPOSED TO OUTSIDE AIR, A HOUSING ENCLOSING SAID CONDENSER AND INCLUDING A FIRST LOUVER WITH MOVABLE BLADES FOR ADMITTING AMBIENT AIR TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID HOUSING, A SECOND LOUVER WITH MOVABLE BLADES FOR EXHAUSTING AIR FROM SAID HOUSING, A FAN FOR MOVING AIR PAST SAID CONDENSER, A THIRD LOUVER WITH MOVABLE BLADES POSITIONED TO ENABLE RECIRCULATION OF AIR WITHIN SAID HOUSING, AND CONTROL MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE POSITION OF AT LEAST SOME OF SAID LOUVER BLADES IN RESPONSE TO THE TEMPERATURE OF THE AIR TO MAINTAIN THE TEMPERATURE OF THE AIR FLOWING PAST THE CONDENSER ABOVE A PREDETERMINED MINIMUM. 